1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to photographic cameras, and more particularly to an improved door construction for efficiently opening and closing a camera for film loading and unloading.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of still picture cameras available today are "bottom-loaded" cameras. Typically, in the bottom-loaded camera, which usually is a 35mm type, such as the Leica M5 or as disclosed in German Pat. No. 949,324, a film supply chamber is opened at the bottom of the camera by removing a baseplate from the camera body or by opening a bottom door of the camera. A film cassette or a film magazine containing a coiled 35mm filmstrip is inserted endwise, i.e., axially, into the bottom opening to the supply chamber.
Before any film is loaded in the camera, however, a back door must be opened in order to move a film pressure device, such as a spring-urged plate on the inside of the back door, from the camera interior. This is done to provide sufficient space for threading a film leader from the film cassette or magazine in the supply chamber, across an exposure frame, and into a film take-up chamber.
Separate manual operation of a back door and a baseplate or a bottom door in known bottom-loaded cameras is cumbersome and slows down film loading. Moreover, often, the back door cannot be opened until after the baseplate is removed from the camera body or the bottom door is opened, which adds to the time required for film loading.